TAMESIDE’S winter lantern parade is back to bring people together and brighten up the dark end-of-year skies in one big festival of lights.
The local authority has revealed more details about how the borough’s towns will be marking the countdown to Christmas.
The Tameside Christmas Lantern Parade will be held in Hyde town centre this year, on Saturday, November 16.
It will involve many local performers – including the talents of Global Grooves, Cabassa and No-Eyed Theatre – and there will be opportunities for people to make lanterns and take part in the dazzling display.
Last year’s extravaganza in Ashton-under-Lyne saw over 9,000 people join in the fun on the night as puppets, performers and music entertained the crowds, lit up by an array of lanterns.
Solar energy firm Project Solar UK – the main club sponsor for Hyde United FC – has become a new sponsor for this year’s event – which is also being part funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Hyde Accelerator Funding for High Streets.
The council will also be supporting community-led Christmas celebration events taking place across Tameside towns – with everything from fairs and food to music and fun for all ages.
It continues on Friday, November 22, in Dukinfield and with the Stalybridge Street Fest and Light Switch On, followed by festivities in Mossley and Ashton-under-Lyne the following day.
It’s the turn of Audenshaw on Friday, November 29, and Droylsden on Saturday, November 30.
The community of Hattersley will come together on Friday, December 6, and Denton will have celebrations across that entire weekend.
More details about what’s happening in each town will be available in due course.
At last year’s Lantern Parade in Ashton (November), the outdoor market stalls’ lights were switched on. They’ve been blazing away round the clock since then.
Ten months of waste and not a word from anyone it seems.
Had Tameside council taken note of advice it was given years ago about fitting a low-cost, industry-standard timing device to control those lights, it would probably have paid for itself this year alone.
Far easier for the council and its yes-folk to plead poverty.
Cool, looks like fun!